The invention relates to a facility having one or several spinning machines and at least one exchanging cart for the exchange of empty cans for full cans which contain a sliver to be processed and which are deposited in two rows behind one another along the respective spinning machines.
In the case of spinning machines, particularly open-end spinning machines, the fiber material to be processed is presented as a sliver in cans. In this case, one can respectively is assigned to one spinning point. In order to be able to make available a sufficient quantity of sliver for the high working speeds, the cans are relatively large so that the cans which are in use are placed in two rows and the cans of both rows are in use. The exchanging of the cans today, as a rule, is still carried out manually although several solutions have become known for an automatic can exchange.
It is known (WO 86/06358) to assign two cans to each spinning point which are placed in two rows behind one another. In this case, the cans of the front row are used as spare cans which are to replace the cans of the rear rows which are being used alone. When the can of the rear row is empty, the front can which will then be in use is taken out by means of an exchanging cart without an interruption of the work; then the empty rear can is taken out; and subsequently, the can which is in use is placed in the rear row. Then a full can is placed in the front spare row. This type of an exchange of cans is limited to machines where the can being used can be placed in a row.
It is also known from German Patent Document DE-C 25 36 435 to arrange one can respectively of the front and the back row on a carriage that can be moved out transversely to the spinning machine and that is pulled to the front by an exchanging cart when an exchange of cans is to be carried out. In this case, the rear can may then also be exchanged.
It is also known from German Patent Document DE-PS 23 52 649 to place the cans in three rows of which the respective two back rows are in use. The cans of the row in the very front are used as spares. The cans of the back row are filled at the beginning only half full, whereby it is to be ensured that these cans are processed first. An exchange will then take place as the result of the fact that the cans are displaced transversely with respect to the machine so that the then empty can is delivered to a conveyer belt extending in parallel to it, while the can of the second row will then move into the position of the back row. The spare can is then brought into the position of the second row. In addition, new full cans are then made available again in the first row. An exchange of cans of this type can function only if it may be assumed that the cans will always be processed uniformly; i.e., that the cans of the second row are still half full, when the can of the rear row becomes empty. In the case of many spinning machines, this type of a uniform processing does not take place, for example, in the case of open-end spinning machines. As a result of stoppages at the individual spinning points because of yarn breakages or the like, it cannot be ensured that all cans are processed uniformly. It cannot be excluded that the can of the second row may no longer be half filled when the can of the back row is empty. Should this happen, the whole system would be in disarray. It is an object of the invention to develop a facility of the initially mentioned type in such a manner that, if required, an exchange of cans is always possible in the front row as well as the back row irrespective of whether a can of the front row or the back row is worked empty earlier or later.
According to a first development according to the invention, this object is achieved in that an exchanging cart is equipped with devices for carrying out two different exchange operations, of which one operation is intended for the exchange of the cans in a position of the front row, and the other one operation is intended for the exchange of the cans in a position of the back row, in that a depositing location for the pertaining can in the front row or the back row is assigned to each spinning point, and in that devices are provided for supplying information to the exchanging cart concerning the position of the depositing location of the can of the spinning point to be serviced, and for triggering the exchange operation intended for this position.
In this development, the exchanging cart is constructed such that it can selectively carry out an exchange of a can in the front row or of a can in the back row, in which case the respective required operating cycle is triggered by an information signal which indicates in which position the can of the spinning point that has to be serviced is situated.
In a further development of this first construction, it is provided that the exchanging cart is equipped with devices for making a can of the back row accessible by moving out the can in the front row situated in front of it, depositing it intermediately and returning it. For making this can accessible, the devices may be used that are used in the other exchanging operation; i.e., during the exchange of a can of the front row.
In a further development of the invention, the object is achieved by means of the fact that the exchanging cart is equipped with devices for displacing a can of the front row in a depositing location of the back row and for the simultaneous moving of the can previously situated in the back row to a conveying device extending along the back row, and with devices for depositing a full can in the depositing location of the front row which now has become vacant. In this development, these devices will be used when a can of the back row must be exchanged. If the cans of the front row are to be exchanged, other devices may be used which are designed specifically for this exchanging operation of the front row which carry out an exchange toward the front.
Since, in this second development, the front cans change their position with the exchanging of the rear can, devices are provided in a further development of the invention for changing the information concerning the changed position of the can displaced from the front to the back row and assigned to a spinning point. During the subsequent can exchange, the exchange cart can then take this new position into account.
In another further development, it is provided that the exchange cart is equipped with devices for cutting a sliver travelling from the can of the front row to the pertaining spinning point. This can will then be separated from the spinning point that previously had been supplied by it with sliver. The sliver of the can pushed into the second row will then, manually or by an automatic device, be supplied to that spinning point to which the depositing location of the back row belongs. The newly supplied full can will then manually or automatically be inserted into the spinning point assigned to this depositing location.
In a further development, it is provided for achieving the object that the exchanging cart is equipped with devices for the successive exchange of the cans standing behind one another in the two rows. These devices can be operated as a function of signals indicating approach of the empty state of the front and/or the rear can, and the exchanging cart comprises devices for cutting a sliver moving from the can of the front row or the can of the rear row to the pertaining spinning point. In this development, an exchange is carried out in each case of the cans of the front and the back row irrespective of whether both or only one have been emptied during the operation. The can which may not yet be empty will be sorted out later and be reused. This solution results in the advantage that no differing exchange operations must be selected in each case.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.